Commercial · January 2026
Multi-site commercial surveillance: lessons from a 20-location rollout
Deploying security and AV across one office is straightforward. Deploying the same system across 20 locations — without the wheels falling off — takes a different discipline. Here are the lessons we've learned.
Lesson 1: Standardize before you start
The single biggest failure mode on multi-site rollouts is letting each location customize. Define one equipment standard, one configuration, one labeling scheme, one credential policy — and hold every site to it. Even if site #7 has a quirky layout, bend the install to the standard, not the other way around.
Lesson 2: Stagger, don't big-bang
Pilot sites (2–3) come first. Iron out the standard. Then roll out in waves of 3–5 locations. Never 20 at once — when you find a problem on site 1, you need to fix it before it replicates to 19 others.
Lesson 3: Central dashboard on day one
Don't deploy even the first site without the central management dashboard set up. Every site from the start should appear in one pane of glass. Platforms designed for this: Verkada, UniFi, Brivo, Avigilon Alta. Avoid anything that requires aggregating data out of per-site systems.
Lesson 4: Documentation as a deliverable, not an afterthought
For every site, identical documentation: floor plan with camera positions, IP schema, credential policy, rack elevation, as-builts, photos of the install. File-naming convention locked. One shared drive.
Lesson 5: Local eyes matter
Each site has a designated local contact — GM, ops lead, facilities person — who's present during install and trained on the basics at handoff. Saves thousands in service calls long-term.
Lesson 6: Budget for service years 2+
Multi-site deployments are 70% of the total-lifecycle conversation. Plan up front: ongoing service contract, centralized credential management, firmware update cadence, hardware replacement schedule. Building this into year 1 is far cheaper than retrofitting it into year 3.
Typical scope of a 20-site rollout
- ~10–25 cameras per site (200–500 total)
- ~4–8 doors per site on access control
- Enterprise WiFi at each location
- Central NOC / dashboard
- 16–24 week total timeline in staggered waves
- Budget: $400,000–$900,000 depending on platform and site size
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